IELTS Cue Card Sample 117 - Describe an advertisement you like

Describe an advertisement you like.

You should say:

what type of advertisement it is

what product it advertises

where you first saw it

And explain why you think this advertisement is effective.

Model Answer 1: There are several advertisements that we see on the TV daily and some of them are very boring and others are average while some are very interesting and creative. One such advertisement that I really liked was regarding the unmatched contributions of mothers for their kids which I saw a few months back. The advertisement was broadcasted for the 'Mother's Day' and it was not for any product. The ministry of child & mother care of health department was the sponsor of this ad and I saw it 3-4 days before the last 'Mother's Day'.

This ad was a very creative one and it was not like the most other ads that publicise or advertise their products. Rather it was an advertisement dedicated to the mothers and it reminded us that the toughest job in the world is the job done by mothers. They take care of their kids with the utmost care and dedication. They sacrifice their own wished and will to properly bring up the kids.

I saw this ad in the (...say a channel name..) UR TV channel. This was a creative ad that effectively delivered the message it intended to. It has shown some successful person in the history at the end and before that it showed how mothers are taking care and inspiring their kids to do good things and in the end, it shows the tribute to the mothers of the world for their valuable and second to none contribution.

Sample Answer 2: There are several types of advertisements that we see daily on TV, billboards, through the Internet, social networking sites, mobile applications, and mobile games. Many of them are very banal, full of marketing speech and kind of boring while others are average and their primary focus is to express the positive sides of a product to increase the sales. Finally, quite a few of them are creative, informative, humorous, fascinating and memorable.

I usually do not like to watch advertisement between a movie/ TV programme and large commercial breaks are quite annoying to me. I personally think that the best way of advertising is using billboards, which can lead you to remember the brand name forever without actually annoying you.

Well, the best advertisement I have ever seen that I still like for its uniqueness was on a highway in the United Arab Emirates and I really liked the idea of this advertisement. One day while passing the main road a big billboard caught my eyes. It was designed to look like the filtration zone of a cigarette which is commonly known as the cigarette butt. The large billboard was quite different in shape and it presented the message ‘Stop smoking even Marlboro’ quite visibly.

I stole a glance at the billboard and thought about the message it conveyed. I actually did not think much and forgot about it. After an hour I found myself in front of a beach with a packet of Marlboro cigarette in my pocket. While I was lighting a cigarette, I was wondering why I bought a packet of Marlboro? It is usually not my brand! To my surprise, I realised that the advertisement that I saw on the road had an immense effect on my psychology unconsciously. I was convinced that the billboard had forced me to buy that brand unconsciously. I think it was the first time I realised how advertisements can target people's unconscious mind. Technically speaking this is the moment I realised that the best way to influence people’s buying behaviour is to use their unconscious mind instead of trying to deliver marketing speeches. When I thought more to analyse the billboard advertising and its effect on me, I realised that the advertiser tried to use reverse advertising techniques by delivering the message that Marlboro is less dangerous and smokers who wish to quit smoking should try this. Possibly all smokers- from light smokers to heavy ones, wish a day without smoking though many of them do not try hard. Then the billboard advertisement was pretending as if they were broadcasting an important public safety message. Moreover, they used a fascinating design on the billboard that would actually grab anyone's attention. As you can see, they were quite successful as I still remember this advert very vividly and I like this advertisement due to the creative thinking of the maker.

[ Written by - Pendar Fazel ]

If you can answer this cue card, you should also be able to answer the following cue card topics as well: